Johnston Island Lodge

Lakers Unlimited started here as a single cabin with a dining area and the all cooking was done over a campfire. How we’ve grown! Now the campfire is just for singalongs, accompanied on guitar by some of our multi-talented guides. Johnston Island accommodates 12 guests at one time. Enjoy the comfort of our two person cabins that are equipped with lights and propane base board heaters. Washrooms and hot showers are in a centralized location only steps from your cabin door.

After a long day of battling the big fish of Lake Athabasca, unwind and relax by the fireplace in the comfort of our "Sowers Lounge" named after the late Jim Sowers who fished 18 weeks with Lakers Unlimited over a period of ten years.

Johnston Island is located on an island archipelago south of the Crackingstone Peninsula, a huge mass which juts into the main basin of Lake Athabasca. The area is a tangled maze of islands, reefs and bays, with an abundance of excellent spots for Lake Trout, Northern Pike and Arctic Grayling. The lodge is in the heart of a sheltered bay at the east end of this seven mile long island. Protected by hills, the bay provides easy access to the many pike bays in the area as well as the prime trout fishing grounds on Lake Athabasca: Johnston Island is in the heart of the action.

Pike fishermen take note: Johnston Island's reputation may be primarily as a Lake Trout lodge, but the facts say otherwise. The Lakers Unlimited record pike - a 32 pounder - was caught at Johnston several years ago - and another 32 pounder was caught in 2009. Then 2014 that record was broke by a 51" - 33lb Giant.

Spring Bay Lodge

The Spring Bay area is, in our opinion, Lake Athabasca’s premier trophy northern pike area. The extensive Northern habitat found in Spring, Maurice and Ness Bays add up to a pike lover’s dream, whether you're a fly fishermen or use conventional tackle. Most of the water in the bays is four to ten feet deep. As the summer progresses, large weed beds develop throughout the bays, and that’s where the big ones will lurk. Our lodge is the only one in the area, so you’ll have it all to yourselves.

From their wake-up at ice-out in June to the warm days of August, northern fishing here is always exciting – and in fact, though southern pike fishermen might not believe it, August is when our largest Pike have been caught.

But Spring Bay Lodge is not just for pike fishermen. Just like Johnston Island Lodge, Spring Bay offers something for everyone. The islands and reefs outside the protected bays are home to plenty of big Lakers, there are several highly productive Arctic grayling spots, and there are occasional catches of walleye in the five pounds and up. With the abundance of great habitat for Northern Pike, we have also landed Trout into the 40lb plus range.

Spring Bay Lodge accommodates up to six fishermen. The main lodge contains four double rooms, three washrooms with showers, a kitchen and dining area, and a lounge area with comfortable chairs and a wood-burning stove.

The open pine forest is home to an excellent berry crop most years – and we will pick them for the best blueberry or Saskatoon pies you have ever tasted. Moose are commonly seen, and even the elusive timber wolf is not an unusual sight. Sandhill cranes are another annual visitor, nesting nearby and frequently flying directly over the lodge. At campfires nighthawks sometime drop by, and by late July there’s a good chance to see the northern lights.

In the end, it’s the fishing that’s important, and Spring Bay Lodge and Johnston Island lodge both offer world class fishing for both Lake Trout and Northern Pike in their own unique way. Either lodge you choose has the fishing you have been dreaming about.